Fog-horn



P. TOPPEL.

FOG HORN.

(No Model.)

No. 259,782. Patented June 20, 1882.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PETER TOPPED, OF JERSEY CITY, ASSIGNOR TO ROBERT FOULDS, OF PASSAIU, NEWJERSEY.

FOG-HORN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No, 259,782, dated June 20,1882. Application filed January 16, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, PETER TOPPEL, of J erseyCity Heights, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, haveinvented an Improvement in Fog-Horns, of which the followin g is aspecification.

Fog-horns have been made with a vibrator or tongue of thin sheet metalresting against a hollow case, and these have been fastened into acircular base, from the edges of which base the trumpet-shaped tubeprojects. These fog-horns have been blown by a plunger acting within asheet-metal tube. Toy musical instruments have been made with aharmonica with numerous notes upon a casing that is connected to thetrumpet. Fog-horns have been made of a whistle or horn attached to theflat end of a cylinder in which is a piston moved by a rack and pinion,and the horn has been screwed to the cylinder or to a mouthpiece; butthe base of the vibrator has either been soldered directly to the hornor else there has been a double conical expanding chamber between thevibrator and the born. In foghorns of this character the primaryvibrations from the tongue are not concentrated, and theair as it issuesthrough the vibrator has to expand before it reaches the interior of thetrumpet portion ofthe horn. Hence alarge portion of its resonant eii'ectis lost and the foghorn has an indistinct and muffled sound. This isparticularly the ease in the ordinary foghorns used on sailing-vessels,and which are usually made of common sheet-tin.

My present invention relates to the combination, with the vibratingtongue and base, of a conical concentrator intervening between the baseand the flaring horn or trumpet, whereby the primary atmosphericvibrations due to the tremulous movement of the tongue are concentratedupon the base of the trumpet and impart to the same a vibration whichsets the air in motion, producing a loud distinct sound that can beheard a long distance in a fog.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the fog-horncomplete; and Fig. 2 is a section,in larger size, of the concentratorand mouth-piece.

The air-forcin g cylinder at is made of sheet metal, with a sheet-metalplunger, 1), around which, near the end, there is a winding of fibrousmaterial to form a packing. The plunger 1) is closed at the end, so asto act in expelling the air. The cylinder at is contracted to thescrew-coupling c, and there is a corresponding screw, (1, around thebase of the primary vibrator 6, so that the two parts can be screwedtogether, or a mouth-piece, f, be screwed at the base d, when it isdesired to blow the foghorn by the mouth, instead of using theairforcing cylinder and plunger.

The primary vibrator is made of the tongue 0, that lies fiat against theside of a hollow or trough-shaped case, t. The ends of both the tongueand case pass through the base d.

Instead of attaching the born or trumpet direct-ly to the edges of thebase d, as has heretofore been done, I introduce the conicalconcentrator 1 between the edges of the base and the trumpet, and theinner end of thetrumpet is reduced in size to correspond with the smallend of the concentrator, and the two are soldered firmly together. Theresult of this construction is that the air which is set in vibration bythe tongue acts directly at the apex of the trumpet and gives a distinctand musical sound that is adapted to be heard at a long distance.

I claim as my inventionl. The combination, with the fog born or trumpetand the vibrator, of a conical concentrator with its larger end solderedto the base of the vibrator and its smaller end to the small end of thehorn, substantially as set forth.

2. The improved fog-horn, composed of the air-forcing cylinder, aclose-ended plunger, a screw-connection, a vibrator, a horn, and aconical concentrator between the base of the vibrator and the small endof the horn, substantially as set forth.

Signed by me this 9th day of January, A. D. 1882.

PETER TOPPEL.

Witnesses:

Gno. T. PINcKNEY, WILLIAM G. Mortr.

